Getz 2025 Grade: your vote matters.

[caulfield12]

4 minutes ago, Rocky said:

A record that had stood since the 1960s was finally broken last season — that alone shows how unlikely it was to happen in back-to-back years. The fact that the bar has now been set at simply not breaking an all-time loss record is unacceptable for a franchise in the third-largest market.

This isn’t about “progress” or “holding steady.” When an organization performs so poorly that it posts the second-worst record in all of baseball, that’s not a sign of competence. It’s failure. To suggest otherwise only lowers expectations to an embarrassingly low level.

The reality is this: an F is the only grade that fits. The standard for a team like the White Sox should never be “don’t embarrass yourselves again.” It should be competing respectably. Until the front office demands more, the results on the field won’t change.

The Royals famously lost 106 before they jumped to the postseason.

That required having a generational superstar in Witt Jr and outspending the AL Central by more money than the other four teams spent combined when they brought in Lugo and Wacha, etc.

This year just around .500 because that mid market approach still requires all your top draft picks like Caglianone to hit closer to Nick Kurtz at 1.000 ops than in the .500s or .600s like O's "studs" Basallo and Mayo.

And that was with resurgent 2025 seasons from M.Garcia, Perez and Estevez.

The biggest dropoff was rotation ace Cole Ragans, who has already gone through two TJ surgeries and could blow up any minute.

 

[GreenSox]

1 hour ago, fathom said:

Worst thing he did all season was the deadline.  That was a disaster.  

Slater trade was nothingburger all around.   Whether it was due to laziness, getting duped by Tampa or whatever, the Houser trade was bad.

What made the deadline a disaster is that he didn't do anything else.
Getz didn't move Robert, didn't move Tauchman, didn't move any of the utility players like Taylor.  Didn't move a reliever. He didn't move Civale.
Yea, he wasn't the laughingstock like he was last year, but Tampa certainly got the best of him and the overall results were worse than last year.

There's another front office  that usually naps at the deadline:  the Rockies.  Woo woo!

A seller blowing off the deadline is really incomprehensible.  

Edited September 29 by GreenSox

[WestEddy]

11 minutes ago, Rocky said:

A record that had stood since the 1960s was finally broken last season — that alone shows how unlikely it was to happen in back-to-back years. The fact that the bar has now been set at simply not breaking an all-time loss record is unacceptable for a franchise in the third-largest market.

This isn’t about “progress” or “holding steady.” When an organization performs so poorly that it posts the second-worst record in all of baseball, that’s not a sign of competence. It’s failure. To suggest otherwise only lowers expectations to an embarrassingly low level.

The reality is this: an F is the only grade that fits. The standard for a team like the White Sox should never be “don’t embarrass yourselves again.” It should be competing respectably. Until the front office demands more, the results on the field won’t change.

It seems that by your own definition, the White Sox did not embarrass themselves again, so they probably deserve an A for that. 

The 2024 Sox started out worse than an expansion team. An expansion team now gets to draft for a couple of years, then they have a draft where they pick players from other teams. The White Sox started out with a mostly depleted minor league system, and a veteran team that had completely collapsed. They really only had 3 tradeable assets, and two of those (Cease and Robert) turned out to have less value than we all expected. 

The fact that there's now a young core to build around is huge progress. 

[Quin]

People do realize that getting a D is grading on a curve right? It's cause they improved from "worst team of all time" to "maybe we won't contract them."

[caulfield12]

11 minutes ago, WestEddy said:

I'm not sure why you do this, Holden. Here, I'll clarify for you. If younger players get untracked by getting too in their own heads, or worrying about clubhouse politics, or whatnot, their skills won't matter. They need to remain focused on their responsibilities in order to perform and veterans around the clubhouse help set the example. Robert is a veteran, but I wouldn't call him a veteran leader. You only seem to be making my point for me. Robert needs veteran leadership (like Abreu provided) and his skills won't carry him if he's too in his own head. 

Paul Konerko and Carlos Quentin were the two biggest examples of "in your head" highly strung guys...and also 2/5 most talented Sox hitters the last 20-25 years.

But there are 100 or 1000 Gordon Beckhams for every player like that.

So while Tauchman might have been a solid leader THIS year, along with guys like Houser or Perez, they are also not part of the next Sox playoff team...in fact, Mike is likely to have a huge decline in production if they hold onto him one year longer.

 

Very clearly Colson and Teel are poised to be these next two Young Sox leaders if they can only stay healthy, along with a very likeable/marketable Braden Montgomery.

 

Edited September 29 by caulfield12

[caulfield12]

JR loves this article...the demise of the super team and the rise of the Brewers by Jeff Passan

 

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/46389613/mlb-playoffs-2025-preview-no-superteam-postseason-dodgers-brewers-phillies-yankees-mariners

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/46070566/mlb-2025-milwaukee-brewers-national-league-best-team-100-wins-low-payroll-powerhouse

"THE BEST TEAM in MLB this year plays in the game's smallest market. Its payroll of around $115 million ranks 23rd of 30 teams. A second baseman (B.Turang) with an OPS below .800 has been its best player. Not a single one of its everyday players, who combined to score the third-most runs in MLB, made the All-Star team.

"There's nothing super about us," said an executive with the Milwaukee Brewers, and he's right. They're just excellent at recognizing the limitations of their situation -- owner Mark Attanasio has never spent in any sort of significant manner in free agency -- and adapting to overcome it.

The Brewers can't drop $765 million on Juan Soto; Milwaukee's combined payrolls for the past seven years total less ($759 million). In the absence of the ability to spend, they've deployed resources to other areas: bulking up a Latin American operation that ranks among the five best in the game; prioritizing player development to continue the pipeline of Brewers farmhands who become excellent big leaguers; and identifying trade targets who are either underperforming or capable of unlocking plenty more with a few treats."

Edited September 29 by caulfield12

[Look at Ray Ray Run]

20 minutes ago, WestEddy said:

It seems that by your own definition, the White Sox did not embarrass themselves again, so they probably deserve an A for that. 

The 2024 Sox started out worse than an expansion team. An expansion team now gets to draft for a couple of years, then they have a draft where they pick players from other teams. The White Sox started out with a mostly depleted minor league system, and a veteran team that had completely collapsed. They really only had 3 tradeable assets, and two of those (Cease and Robert) turned out to have less value than we all expected. 

The fact that there's now a young core to build around is huge progress. 

Ah yes, now that the Cease trade was a bomb, he had "less value" than we thought.

[Dick Allen]

20 minutes ago, Quin said:

People do realize that getting a D is grading on a curve right? It's cause they improved from "worst team of all time" to "maybe we won't contract them."

Still, a D average gets you a sheepskin. Getz should be going into his Junior year, but  is still a Freshman to me.

[caulfield12]

1 minute ago, Look at Ray Ray Run said:

Ah yes, now that the Cease trade was a bomb, he had "less value" than we thought.

Yet he will still merit one of the Top Ten biggest free agents contracts this off season due to durability and all those strikeouts.

In fact, the late season uncertainty over guys like Michael King and even Kyle Tucker have made him even more attractive despite the lousy ERA and propensity for 5 inning outings much like Blake Snell.

 

[WestEddy]

21 minutes ago, caulfield12 said:

Paul Konerko and Carlos Quentin were the two biggest examples of "in your head" highly strung guys...and also 2/5 most talented Sox hitters the last 20-25 years.

But there are 100 or 1000 Gordon Beckhams for every player like that.

So while Tauchman might have been a solid leader THIS year, along with guys like Houser or Perez, they are also not part of the next Sox playoff team...in fact, Mike is likely to have a huge decline in production if they hold onto him one year longer.

 

Very clearly Colson and Teel are poised to be these next two Young Sox leaders if they can only stay healthy, along with a very likeable/marketable Braden Montgomery.

 

Players don't need to defy age and play forever at the same level they are right now in order to have value to a team in a particular season.

You seem to be arguing that because Konerko and Quentin are now old and can't play baseball at a competitive level anymore, they never had any value and never should have been traded for. 

[almagest]

Gave him a C. Some positives, some negatives:

Good

• Won 19 games more than last season
• Miguel Vargas somehow put up a 100 wRC+ after looking like he had no clue at the plate last year
• Teel and Montgomery look like above average regulars
• Quero and Meidroth were up and down, and I have concerns about either of them being regulars, but they have potential
• Robert bounced back from a rough first half and was looking good before his injury
• Slater and Tauchman were solid signings
• Found a solid starter (Smith) and really good reliever (Vasil) in the rule 5 draft. This doesn't happen often
• Venable made some puzzling mistakes, but the team played hard for him until the end. Overall seems like a good hire
• They hired guys from good outside organizations (Rangers, Brewers and Orioles) to help with player development
• Grant Taylor got BABIP'd to death for a couple weeks but otherwise looked like a solid closer
• The Crochet trade looks like it will provide a lot of value
  • Braden Montgomery had a really nice first season in the minors
  • Already talked about Teel and Meidroth
  • Wikelman Gonzalez was nasty and looks like he can be a really good reliever
• Drafting and development seems to be better than before, with potential value coming from all rounds of the draft
  • Bonemer, Fauske, McDougal, Oppor, Lodise, Wolkow, Antonacci, Adams, Pallette all later round picks in the top 15 of the Sox top 30 on MLB, and all have a chance to contribute at the MLB level
• The LatAm revamp is underway, and the Sox are currently in the drivers seat for top Dominican prospect Braston Basker, which NEVER would have happened before

Bad

• They still lost 102 games because they were abysmal in the first half of the season, couldn't win one run games and had long losing streaks. Need to fix those problems to take the next step
• Regression from Smith and Schultz. Hopefully its growing pains and not signs of permanent regression. Need at least one of those guys to be a good starter to keep the arrow pointing up on the major league team
• The Cease trade looked terrible this year - Thorpe is hurt, Zavala showed some life but was overall not very good, Iriarte has fallen off the prospect list, and Wilson is a mediocre reliever. Need Thorpe to show something next year to get some value from this trade
• I'd rather young guys put up <80 wRC+ instead of guys like Rojas, Amaya, etc.
• Robert had a rough first half and got hurt yet again
• Minor league system ranking fell 10+ spots after graduating Montgomery, Teel and Quero. Need to keep a solid pipeline going constantly for this team to have any future success - we'll see how the system rebounds in 2026
• Taylor should be given every opportunity to start. I'm nervous they brought him up to the bullpen. Hopefully he takes the Crochet route (without the TJ surgery)
• They're not gonna spend money on free agents until Jerry is gone, so the job is much harder than it needs to be

[caulfield12]

3 minutes ago, WestEddy said:

Players don't need to defy age and play forever at the same level they are right now in order to have value to a team in a particular season.

You seem to be arguing that because Konerko and Quentin are now old and can't play baseball at a competitive level anymore, they never had any value and never should have been traded for. 

No no no no...they were arguably (when healthy) the two best Sox hitters of the last 20-25 years, along with Jose Abreu, but couldn't get out of their own heads despite all their obvious talent.

See Yogi Berra quotes about baseball and the mental side of the game.

 

In fact, Colson Montgomery now becomes the prime example of that moving forward.

[pcq]

I like some of the young hitters and the lineup. I liked the home runs too.

But mostly I like football. 

FUJR  Repeat a trillion times. 

 

[southsider2k5]

45 minutes ago, Dick Allen said:

Still, a D average gets you a sheepskin. Getz should be going into his Junior year, but  is still a Freshman to me.

And seeing as how Jerry is still the owner, even if it was an F, it wouldn't matter, as Jerry isn't looking for skill, he is looking for someone to mindlessly agree with him as he screws things up Waylon Smithers style.

[77 Hitmen]

52 minutes ago, caulfield12 said:

JR loves this article...the demise of the super team and the rise of the Brewers by Jeff Passan

 

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/46389613/mlb-playoffs-2025-preview-no-superteam-postseason-dodgers-brewers-phillies-yankees-mariners

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/46070566/mlb-2025-milwaukee-brewers-national-league-best-team-100-wins-low-payroll-powerhouse

"THE BEST TEAM in MLB this year plays in the game's smallest market. Its payroll of around $115 million ranks 23rd of 30 teams. A second baseman (B.Turang) with an OPS below .800 has been its best player. Not a single one of its everyday players, who combined to score the third-most runs in MLB, made the All-Star team.

"There's nothing super about us," said an executive with the Milwaukee Brewers, and he's right. They're just excellent at recognizing the limitations of their situation -- owner Mark Attanasio has never spent in any sort of significant manner in free agency -- and adapting to overcome it.

The Brewers can't drop $765 million on Juan Soto; Milwaukee's combined payrolls for the past seven years total less ($759 million). In the absence of the ability to spend, they've deployed resources to other areas: bulking up a Latin American operation that ranks among the five best in the game; prioritizing player development to continue the pipeline of Brewers farmhands who become excellent big leaguers; and identifying trade targets who are either underperforming or capable of unlocking plenty more with a few treats."

But Jerry doesn't like deploying resources into the organization, either.   So, we can't spend on MLB talent like the big boys and JR won't spend money on the organization or hire anyone but "yes men" to develop talent like Milwaukee and Cleveland are able to.  

[kitekrazy]

 Isn't this the 2nd year for the Marlins GM?  They came close to .500 and the Marlins are Reinsdorf South.  I thought they would lose close to a 100.  Compare that to Getz if you want.

 It's obvious Getz doesn't have a magic wand.  I guess though he is trying to get the Sox organization out of the stone age.

 How do you grade a person who only got the promotion for just being there?

 

[Kyyle23]

I’m hoping we can keep this thread more at “this is my grade and why I gave this grade” as opposed to “why did you give that grade?” For everyone.  

we have a loooooooong offseason and plenty of time to argue 

[southsider2k5]

3 hours ago, wegner said:

I am going to disagree with you there a bit....on a 102 loss team, veterans who you do not or cannot flip at the deadline are not really that helpful. I really do not buy that veteran presence bullshit for the most part. Play the yungins.

This is a team that has lost 223 games in the last two years.  What exactly have we gotten out of "veteran presence"?  Would we have lost 230 games without legends like Rafael Ortega, Martin Maldonado, Matt Thaiss, and Josh Rojas demonstrating how hard to work at absolutely sucking at major league baseball over the last two years?  Or if we are bringing in veterans to show the kids how to play, might it actually be better to bring in veterans who can actually demonstrate how to play WELL, and then actually being able to get pieces of value back for them at the trade deadline like a real MLB franchise?

This is also such a weird piece of circular logic.  We have spent the last two years throwing around all of the buzzwords around WORK ETHIC, and drafting guys with CHARACTER, while needing to surround them with terrible players because they have VETERAN PRESENCE, and I can't help but wonder, we do have coaches right?  We do have game day staff?  If we draft and develop kids effectively, why are they NOT learning this stuff as they come through the system?  Why do they need ANOTHER set of coaches on the field in the form of VETERAN PRESENCE to show them how to play, when those ethics and habits SHOULD have been installed in the years these guys spend as White Sox minor leaguers.  Why are we paying these guys millions of dollars to do what our coaches and staff should have already been achieving?  Are we not capable of taking raw, but talented guys, who have historically gotten by on talent alone because of their overwhelming abilities at the younger levels, and then adding a major league work ethic to those players with our current MiLB staff?  How is having Travis Jankowski roaming around your roster for a while supposed to do that, meanwhile the guys who actually have COACH or MANAGER in the program as their title seemingly unable to do it over the course of the YEARS they have them before they are ever exposed to the MLB roster?

I contrast that question with the fact that almost all of the MiLB management and coaches stuck around after the GM change to ask if these were problems from the previous regime, why did we only change the people in charge, and not the people putting in the ACTUAL work with these kids on a daily game day basis?

 

[chitownsportsfan]

1 hour ago, Kyyle23 said:

I’m hoping we can keep this thread more at “this is my grade and why I gave this grade” as opposed to “why did you give that grade?” For everyone.  

we have a loooooooong offseason and plenty of time to argue 

This is my grade. There are many like it but this one is mine. 

[JoshPR]

C he has done some good things. I think hes a little more likable than bullshitter Hahn. I think he wants to rebuild the system and his heart is in a good place, but like someone said working for penny pincher control freak Reinsdorf with El Drunko in his ear ain't easy

[Middle Buffalo]

C / C-

19 game improvement with mostly 1st and 2nd year players. There are some nice building pieces. Still a long way to go. I’d be surprised if we sign any difference makers in the offseason due to the labor questions. Unfortunately, next years success will be greatly dependent on continued improvement of the young players. 

[Snopek]

4 hours ago, almagest said:

They're not gonna spend money on free agents until Jerry is gone, so the job is much harder than it needs to be

Simply put and well said. I feel like this is the motto of several Chicago sports teams.

[kitekrazy]

54 minutes ago, JoshPR said:

C he has done some good things. I think hes a little more likable than bullshitter Hahn. I think he wants to rebuild the system and his heart is in a good place, but like someone said working for penny pincher control freak Reinsdorf with El Drunko in his ear ain't easy

some believe that doesn't exist but he has been to some minor league games

[nrockway]

I wanted to vote 'A' just for the trolling component of it, but I think it's a solid 84%. I'm generally pleased with how the rookies played. I liked the organizational hires. Minor leaguers are showing some real promise. I could genuinely see Bonemer being a top 20 prospect in MLB, Antonacci top 100. Plus the pitchers especially Oppor. Some really nice improvement from the 'back end' despite many of the top guys graduating. Best Rule 5 draft ever? Good pitching development. The real winner is the Crochet trade to me. I would've gotten totally played if I was selecting players from the Red Sox system. I liked the players we drafted this year. First 2 rounders are gonna be awesome, there are some gems in the later rounds. Ely Brown is a surefire MLB player. Like that we opened a new academy in the DR and revamped that Arizona facility. Like the Venable hire generally but he needs to take some big steps forward in his sophomore season. Like the improvements to players like Vargas, Sosa, Baldwin

Dislike: free agency (outside Houser), trading for Mead, telling Schultz to stop throwing a cutter, (carrying over from last year because it's extra disappointing) the Hagen Smith pick. Vaughn and Thaiss trades were a bust (but marginal). Too many ABs given to players like Capra, Rojas, Palacios, Amaya, Noda, Dalbec etc. Booser trade was awful. No good LHP acquisitions. Hate all the 1 run losses, but that's probably on the coaching staff...which makes me think, like the recent firings (I guess, but who cheers when someone gets fired).

I think Getz could've done better, especially in hitter acquisition department, but I'm not really caring if the team lost 100 or 90. I generally like the roster we finished the season with. We'll see what they can do in 2026. Hopefully Quero, Meidroth, Brooks, Sosa, Vargas can take a big step forward. I think the pitching is in good shape but there are a lot of question marks still with the hitters.

[WestEddy]

9 minutes ago, nrockway said:

I wanted to vote 'A' just for the trolling component of it, but I think it's a solid 84%. I'm generally pleased with how the rookies played. I liked the organizational hires. Minor leaguers are showing some real promise. I could genuinely see Bonemer being a top 20 prospect in MLB, Antonacci top 100. Plus the pitchers especially Oppor. Some really nice improvement from the 'back end' despite many of the top guys graduating. Best Rule 5 draft ever? Good pitching development. The real winner is the Crochet trade to me. I would've gotten totally played if I was selecting players from the Red Sox system. I liked the players we drafted this year. First 2 rounders are gonna be awesome, there are some gems in the later rounds. Ely Brown is a surefire MLB player. Like that we opened a new academy in the DR and revamped that Arizona facility. Like the Venable hire generally but he needs to take some big steps forward in his sophomore season. Like the improvements to players like Vargas, Sosa, Baldwin

Dislike: free agency (outside Houser), trading for Mead, telling Schultz to stop throwing a cutter, (carrying over from last year because it's extra disappointing) the Hagen Smith pick. Vaughn and Thaiss trades were a bust (but marginal). Too many ABs given to players like Capra, Rojas, Palacios, Amaya, Noda, Dalbec etc. Booser trade was awful. No good LHP acquisitions. Hate all the 1 run losses, but that's probably on the coaching staff...which makes me think, like the recent firings (I guess, but who cheers when someone gets fired).

I think Getz could've done better, especially in hitter acquisition department, but I'm not really caring if the team lost 100 or 90. I generally like the roster we finished the season with. We'll see what they can do in 2026. Hopefully Quero, Meidroth, Brooks, Sosa, Vargas can take a big step forward. I think the pitching is in good shape but there are a lot of question marks still with the hitters.

I thought I was being too exuberant in the bold predictions thread when I said 60 wins, so they exceeded my expectations. B. 

There seems to be a seriousness under Getz, and he lacks the Hahn-descension of the previous two GMs. I like how they handled Vargas and Colson, turning their seasons around. Crochet trade? Some here still complain we didn't get Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Mayer, and we'd be horrified with their output on this year's White Sox.